I came to know Segaran just as he was leaving for India to become a monk. Prior to his decision to leave his government job to become a monk at a renowned ashram in India, he had traveled and stayed at the ashram five times before coming to this life long irreversible decision. It was a bold move on his part and a well-calculated one, having tried out the life at the ashram several times before deciding to leave the material world for good. After submitting a 24-hour notice to his department head he left passing me a copy of the masterpiece book "Autobiography of a Yogi" and a beautiful painting of Lord Siva.
He came back one last time to settle his belongings and assets and other relevant documentation and matters. Just as he left his ashram for Malaysia, the ashram head called him up. He received a sound and appropriate advice from the wise spiritual head. The senior monk told him, "Now since you are returning to Malaysia to settle all your dues, do keep some money for yourself. We here at the ashram can provide you lodging and food but in the event, you need a knee surgery we cannot provide the funds for that."
Segaran returned to the ashram permanently after getting the blessings of his mother and siblings.
Seekers in their haste to venture into the spiritual realm go with several expectations only to be disappointed. They go seeking a set of ideas and pre-conceived notions and take along all that they have read, the textbook knowledge, expecting to see these applied or shown to them. They would envision how the spiritual head and his establishment should be. They go as a full vessel. The spiritual head can only fill you up if you go empty. Many want quick results, not willing to be patient, and wait. But they fail to understand that immaterial of whatever the master passes on it is the effort of the individual that determines whether he would excel in the technique or practice. A master might initiate and give a mantra, but the student needs to allocate time for his practice and practice diligently. There is no magical formula or short cut to achieve advancement in spiritualism.
Many forget to take notice and imbibe the valuable message imparted to them during the stay but rather get distracted by the personality of the master and politics at the ashram. When things do not work their way, they end up moving out and searching further. Some begin to bad mouth the previous establishment once out.
An aspirant in his eagerness to harness the power of Kundalini met a visiting master in the public playground who messed with his chakras leaving the poor soul in pain and agony. If that wasn't enough the poor chap had his chakras blocked purposely by another master of his. No amount of pleading by his wife could soften the heart of the master.
I had an email from someone in New Delhi who have learned various techniques from numerous masters ended up in a state of pain and agony as a result of energy blockages. After eight years he was still in pain, none of his masters could help.
I had a young and energetic aspirant who was disturbed by an abnormal flow of energy in him and sought aid, having practiced a technique given by his master. The master too had turned cuckoo.
A true master would monitor the progress of his disciple and also be able to heal him if in the event something goes wrong.
Once when a devotee of another saint in Kerala, stopped by at Tiruvannamalai for a blessing from Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Yogi refused to bless him. When a disciple of the Yogi enquired why the Yogi had refused to do so, the Yogi said that the devotee had the full blessings of the saint of Kerala and that he did not want to mess with the energy.
I received a message from someone saying that he could make me a Siddha; I had another devotee eager to teach me meditation, and I had a Swamiji who showed interest to conduct a yagna in my home for a fee. I am glad I ignored all these proposals.
An aspirant in his eagerness to harness the power of Kundalini met a visiting master in the public playground who messed with his chakras leaving the poor soul in pain and agony. If that wasn't enough the poor chap had his chakras blocked purposely by another master of his. No amount of pleading by his wife could soften the heart of the master.
I had an email from someone in New Delhi who have learned various techniques from numerous masters ended up in a state of pain and agony as a result of energy blockages. After eight years he was still in pain, none of his masters could help.
I had a young and energetic aspirant who was disturbed by an abnormal flow of energy in him and sought aid, having practiced a technique given by his master. The master too had turned cuckoo.
A true master would monitor the progress of his disciple and also be able to heal him if in the event something goes wrong.
Once when a devotee of another saint in Kerala, stopped by at Tiruvannamalai for a blessing from Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Yogi refused to bless him. When a disciple of the Yogi enquired why the Yogi had refused to do so, the Yogi said that the devotee had the full blessings of the saint of Kerala and that he did not want to mess with the energy.
I received a message from someone saying that he could make me a Siddha; I had another devotee eager to teach me meditation, and I had a Swamiji who showed interest to conduct a yagna in my home for a fee. I am glad I ignored all these proposals.
The masters too are not capable of showing God, keep their disciples shackled, and lay many restrictions, not giving them sufficient avenue to experiment and learn, not allowing their spirit to grow and expand. A true master would rejoice in seeing his students grow and blossom into a master too.
An irony in the spiritual world is that much is said and written about the attachment to the material world and seekers are asked to shun away from them, but these very seekers are sought out for donations to build majestic ashrams, to feed its inmates, and to carry out ashram activities.
A particular community that runs and manages temples both in India and Malaysia, does it very efficiently without sourcing for funds from the public. The community contributes money towards the daily running of the temple rituals and other administrative expenses including maintenance. Each household does its share in contributing besides allocating a fixed amount monthly from their profits. They are self-sustaining in regards to the items used for the daily libation of the murthys and other rituals by growing the necessary trees and rearing cows in the vicinity of the temple. There are very minimum purchases done for these rituals to carry on smoothly without any hitches. They have been doing it for ages. We could learn a thing or two from them.
A particular community that runs and manages temples both in India and Malaysia, does it very efficiently without sourcing for funds from the public. The community contributes money towards the daily running of the temple rituals and other administrative expenses including maintenance. Each household does its share in contributing besides allocating a fixed amount monthly from their profits. They are self-sustaining in regards to the items used for the daily libation of the murthys and other rituals by growing the necessary trees and rearing cows in the vicinity of the temple. There are very minimum purchases done for these rituals to carry on smoothly without any hitches. They have been doing it for ages. We could learn a thing or two from them.
I believe both these worlds need to co-exist together, helping each other and moving forward. No marga or path is superior to another. Everything has its place in society.
I have very high regard for the AVM family. They all make an honest living. They care for their parents, in-laws, family, siblings, and relatives. They find time to do service to the unfortunate and allocate a small amount of their earnings for this purpose. Agathiyar has guided them regularly, bringing them under his care and attention directly rather than place them under a living master's care. Occasionally he brings along a master to teach or show a thing or two. Never has he mentioned in our Nadi reading that we are to leave our responsibilities towards our family, society, and nation behind. He has asked us to divide our time equally between carrying out our daily chores and spending some time in quietude with God. There is no conflict of interest. I find the teachings of Agathiyar are sound and appropriate for us at AVM. We are grateful to him for defining the path clear for us to follow.